A novel plug-flow type tube reactor apparatus is reported to investigate the deposition kinetics of a common mineral scale calcium carbonate (CaCO3). Mineral scale deposition is a common phenomenon in industry and can pose a serious threat to the safe and economical operations. Compared with the conventional apparatus, the tube reactor has the advantage to maintain a constant solution pH, surface area and a controlled saturation index and hydraulic condition during the deposition study. 'Two scenarios of CaCO3 solid deposition were considered in this study, including deposition of CaCO3 on clean surfaces and also deposition of CaCO3 on a surface pre-coated with CaCO3 solid. The results show that the overall CaCO3 deposition process can be divided into multiple stages with different deposition kinetics and different solid morphologies. It is obvious that experimental conditions, such as solution chemistry, flow rate, temperature and saturation index, can have a considerable impact on CaCO3 deposition kinetics. These results provide an in-depth understanding of the process involving CaCO3 deposition onto the surface of a pipe material or a conduit. This novel tube reactor apparatus expands our capability of investigating mineral scale deposition kinetics and the influences of various experimental factors on scale deposition kinetics. (C) 2018 Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.